What Works? A Study of Effective Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Programs

For states and communities interested in data-driven guidance around development and implementation of effective early childhood mental health consultation programs.

Through in-depth site visits to six consultation programs demonstrating positive child, family, staff and/or program outcomes, this study explores the following key questions:

What are the essential components of effective mental health consultation programs?

What are the skills, competencies, and credentials of effective consultants?

What are the training, supervision and support needs of consultants?

What level of intervention intensity (i.e., frequency and duration) is needed to produce good outcomes?

Which outcomes should be targeted and how should they be measured?

The study also reports on the extent to which consultation efforts are occurring nationally and provides a series of recommendations generated by experts in the field to guide policymakers/funders, early childhood mental health consultation providers, early care and education program administrators, and researchers/evaluators.

To navigate to a particular section of this report, first open the document and then use the interactive Table of Contents (starts on page iii) and/or click on the Bookmarks tab/icon to select the section of your choice.